Language: English
Between November 9-10 2022, the Nasarawa Working Group of IFIT’s Middle Belt Brain Trust (MBBT) held an in-person convening to analyse the system of land ownership in Nasarawa state.
Organised in collaboration with the Secretary to the State Government’s Office, the meeting gathered together key stakeholders responsible for administering Nasarawa’s formal and informal land holdings. Attendees included traditional rulers; government land administrators from state and local government authority levels (including the Surveyor General, NAGIS, the Ministry of Justice, and land officers); land agents; and representatives from religious communities.
At the convening, participants highlighted potential opportunities and actions that can be taken to improve the land administration process. The group concluded that the most frequent variable as to whether a land ownership conflict will occur is the point at which land held under customary ownership (i.e. informal tenure) is sold to the first buyer.
To further examine the process of purchasing land held under the various types of informal tenure in Nasarawa State, a 10-member project implementing unit was formed. This group will develop recommendations on how to improve land ownership processes, including via record-keeping and verification, as well as how to make the process of obtaining paperwork more accessible and affordable.
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This publication examines Uzbekistan’s potential to build a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem that could help the country to strengthen and accelerate its ongoing economic transition.
Drawing on in-depth research and interviews with leading Uzbek experts from business, education and the public sector, the report offers a detailed assessment and practical set of recommendations on how to bolster the current entrepreneurial ecosystem. It also details a series of practical actions to help develop entrepreneurial processes; secure necessary inputs and resources; and enhance the interactions between stakeholders within the ecosystem.
The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12529815
Photo (left to right): MBBT Chairman General (Rtd) M.L. Agwai; Ene Ode, Country Director, Action Aid; Shane Rice, Irish Embassy; Thomas Jr Bimba, IFIT Local Coordinator in Nigeria; and Matthias Dold, German Embassy.
On 20 September 2022, IFIT’s Middle Belt Brain Trust (MBBT) and the Embassy of Ireland in Abuja held an event to launch the MBBT’s comprehensive strategic report, Ending Violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Hosted by the Embassy of Ireland, the event was attended by representatives from USAID, the Netherlands, the UK, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and TY Danjuma Foundation, among others.
Attendees discussed the rationale behind the selection of the Middle Belt as the focus of the report, as well as the worsening trends – including high levels of violence – that have been affecting the region in recent years. It was highlighted that the problems experienced regionally within the Middle Belt are representative of dynamics in Nigeria as a whole, and that the north-south overlap combined with the area’s significant ethnic diversity make regional security crucial for the entire country.
Going beyond existing literature and understandings, the MBBT’s research concretely demonstrates the multifaceted and multidimensional nature of the conflict in the Middle Belt. It highlights the complexity of reducing violence, but also the important promise of new proposed lines of action across multiple areas.
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On September 5-6, 2022, the IFIT Middle Belt Brain Trust (MBBT) held a two-day capacity-building training on community grievance management for all the First Class Chiefs of Nasarawa State. The training, which took place at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Lafia and was organised in collaboration with the Government of Nasarawa State, is part of the MBBT’s wider work to improve grievance management capacities at the community level in the Middle Belt region.
At the training, State Governor Engr Abdullahi Sule stated that the initiative helped promote a culture of peace and harmonious coexistence not only in the Middle Belt, but in the country at large. MBBT Chairman, General Martin Luther-Agwai (rtd.), said that security challenges in the Middle Belt were enormous but with sustained determination and hard work, peace and security would be achieved. He stressed that the failure of existing institutions to manage grievances had become a major conflict driver, as most community-level conflicts that start out as civil disputes escalated to violence and identity conflicts.
The MBBT’s training on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for traditional leaders (such as ward heads, village heads, and district heads) aims to make grievance management and timely resolution of disputes accessible to disadvantaged, illiterate, rural and dispersed populations, thereby helping to prevent civil disputes from becoming identity conflicts. This effort also aims to increase civic engagement and foster public processes that over time can facilitate broader social and structural change.
Local Media Coverage
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On Monday September 5, 2022, IFIT’s Nigeria Middle Belt Brain Trust co-organised with the Government of Nasarawa State the official launch of its latest publication, Ending Violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt: A Strategic Report of Nasarawa State.
At the event, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, stated that the report “offers a comprehensive picture of the intricate forces causing conflict in Nasarawa State” and that it would “no doubt add to [their] efforts to tackle insecurity through a sustained special attention to matters that border on security and active engagement of all stakeholders”. He assured that the government “would study the report with a view to adopting its recommendations for the benefit of [its] people”.
Based on two years of extensive research and on-the-ground interviews with community members affected by the state’s most important conflicts, the report presents an in-depth analysis of the drivers of violence in Nasarawa State to understand broader dynamics of conflict across the Middle Belt of Nigeria and the spectrum of realistic solutions.
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Philanthropic support or annual sponsorship of IFIT’s short and long-term growth – expanding its local, regional and global impact – is an investment in advancing peace, justice and security for all.
As long as human conflict exists, IFIT will have a substantive role to play. The success of peaceful transitions requires continued presence in volatile regions and countries before, during and after peace and political settlements have run their course.
IFIT helps usher in negotiation and transition processes that are more inclusive, resourceful, evidence-informed and collaborative. Ensuring IFIT’s continued leadership in this field will generate reforms to, and eventually bring about the evolution of, traditional peacebuilding techniques which are often fragmented or fall short of aspirations.
IFIT brings together under one roof the best of theory and practice in relation to successful negotiations and transitions out of conflict or authoritarian rule.
We hope this case for support offers the starting point for a deeper conversation regarding how we can work together to move current practice away from fragmented interventions and towards more integrated solutions to strengthen peace, democracy, and human rights.
To discuss your partnership with IFIT please contact Adriana Brassart, IFIT’s External Relations Manager, at [email protected].
IFIT’s Distinguishing Features
IFIT’s uniqueness lies in the following combination of factors:
- Expertise that covers both negotiation and transition processes, whether out of violent conflict or authoritarian rule.
- An emphasis on promoting and harnessing local leadership, local expertise, and local action to advance local solutions.
- An integrated methodology that ensures local partners have easy and organised access to leading global experts on critical policy dimensions of successful negotiation and transition.
- A focus on long-term relationship building and systemic change.
- A philosophy of dialogue and confidential engagement with leaders of all sides in any dispute or conflict.
- A focus on doing gap-filling policy research on controversial subjects.
- A highly cost-efficient and sustainable business model.
Picture: Moises Saman/Magnum Photos
Vacante de Pasantía Justicia Transicional – IFIT América Latina y a nivel global (Bogotá, Colombia)
IFIT está buscando un pasante para el equipo de Justicia Transicional. Las tareas específicas serán definidas por la Directora de proyectos para América Latina y el/la supervisor/a de la pasantía. Sin embargo, las responsabilidades del pasante serían: i) Apoyar al equipo con tareas de investigación y síntesis;. ii) Apoyar al equipo con los diferentes requerimientos sustantivos, logísticos y administrativos;. iii) Acompañar las reuniones que se requieran, tomando notas y elaborando relatorías; y, iv) Demás tareas relacionadas con los presentes términos de referencia y que sean requeridas por IFIT.
El Instituto
El Instituto para las Transiciones Integrales (IFIT), por sus siglas en inglés, es una organización internacional no gubernamental que brinda asesoría técnica, imparcial, creativa e independiente a tomadores de decisiones en contextos de negociaciones y/o transiciones. El trabajo principal de IFIT es servir como un recurso experto que brinda soluciones para tomadores de decisión y para los distintos esfuerzos locales que pretenden romper los ciclos de conflicto o represión.
En el marco de su programa de pasantías en la oficina de Bogotá, IFIT está buscando un pasante para el equipo de Justicia Transicional Las tareas específicas serán definidas por la Directora de proyectos para América Latina y el/la supervisor/a de la pasantía. Sin embargo, las responsabilidades del pasante serían: i) Apoyar al equipo con tareas de investigación y síntesis;. ii) Apoyar al equipo con los diferentes requerimientos sustantivos, logísticos y administrativos;. iii) Acompañar las reuniones que se requieran, tomando notas y elaborando relatorías; y, iv) Demás tareas relacionadas con los presentes términos de referencia y que sean requeridas por IFIT.
La pasantía no es remunerada. IFIT ofrece un auxilio de conectividad, energía y transporte mensual para cubrir costos de electricidad, internet, y desplazamiento a reuniones de trabajo del equipo, o asistencia a eventos relacionados (COP 600,000).
Duración: 3 meses con posibilidad de prórroga de 3 meses más (inicia el 24 de octubre de 2023). Con una intensidad de tiempo completo.
Lugar de trabajo: Semipresencial desde la oficina de IFIT en Bogotá, Colombia.
Perfil
Se busca que el/la pasante cumpla con todos o algunos de los siguientes requerimientos:
- Pregrado en Derecho.
- Estudiantes de último semestre de pregrado podrán ser tenidos en cuenta, siempre y cuando tengan una carga académica de máximo de 2 clases o que se encuentren en proceso de tesis y/o consultorio jurídico.
- Interés por la realidad nacional y conocimiento del contexto del proceso de paz y sus debates relacionados.
- Interés por la justicia transicional, derechos de las víctimas, derecho internacional, derecho penal internacional, derechos humanos y DIH.
- Habilidades para la investigación. La actitud recursiva será valorada positivamente.
- Habilidades de comprensión de lectura, capacidad de análisis y síntesis.
- Actitud flexible, proactiva, creativa y versátil.
- Excelente redacción en español y excelente nivel de inglés oral y escrito.
- Capacidad e interés de análisis de noticias y de manejo de redes sociales.
- Manejo de Word, Excel, Powerpoint y Zoom. El manejo de Canva será valorado positivamente.
Áreas de interés
- Justicia transicional.
- El Acuerdo Final para la construcción de la paz estable y duradera.
- Derechos de las víctimas.
- Derechos humanos.
- Derecho constitucional y penal colombiano.
- Derecho internacional.
- Derecho Internacional Humanitario.
- Derecho Penal Internacional.
- Negociaciones.
IFIT está comprometido en la construcción de un lugar de trabajo diverso e inclusivo, así que anima a aspirantes provenientes de todo tipo de contextos geográficos, ideológicos, raciales o culturales, a participar en esta convocatoria y, si es del caso, plantear cualquier dificultad que tengan para participar. De ser escogida la persona, IFIT buscará contribuir hasta donde le sea posible a la superación de esas dificultades, en caso de que existan.
¿Cómo aplicar?
Por favor envíe su hoja de vida a Laura Acevedo ([email protected]), indicando “Pasantía justicia transicional América Latina IFIT” en el asunto. El plazo para enviarla será hasta el 11 de octubre de 2023; sin embargo, las solicitudes se revisarán de manera contínua, por lo que se recomienda a los solicitantes que presenten su solicitud con anticipación. Sólo se contactará a los candidatos seleccionados para una entrevista.
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This report analyses the drivers of violence in Nigeria’s Nasarawa State in order to understand the broader dynamics of conflict across the country’s Middle Belt region. Based on an exploration of documentary evidence and interviews with community members affected by conflict, it highlights the complexity of reducing violence and the importance of action in multiple areas simultaneously, while recognising the geographic variations in conflict drivers, actors, and dynamics. The report concludes with practical recommendations for Nasarawa’s leaders to act upon.
The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12529752
In societies marked by deep social divisions, powerful individuals and organisations play a key role in building up narratives which promote either peaceful engagement or polarisation that can lead to violence. This paper discusses the wide range of actors who have the power to shape narratives at the national level, elaborating them to advance their goals. It proposes practical strategies on how diverse stakeholders – civil society, policy makers and donors, among others – can work with, as well as around, these influential actors to ensure that the narrative landscape advances peace instead of deepening conflict and polarisation.
Based on consultations with the IFIT brain trusts in Libya, Colombia and Zimbabwe, IFIT’s Inclusive Narratives Practice Group and other leading experts in narrative and politics, the paper challenges the view that imposing a new unifying narrative is an effective way to counter polarisation, instead advocating for work that illuminates narrative biases, changes narratives from within and amplifies smaller stories to encourage social engagement at scale.
The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10473718
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This special session on the Peace Treaty Initiative at European University Institute´s State of the Union summit brings together Sarah Nouwen, member of the initiative’s Expert Advisory Group; Mark Freeman, IFIT’s executive director; Barney Afako, IFIT fellow; and Fleur Ravensbergen, co-founder of Dialogue Advisory Group. They will discuss today’s international peace architecture, look into the incentives to make negotiations a more attractive and safer choice for governments when facing conflicts, and assess the value of the Peace Treaty Initiative for the EU.
Date: Friday, May 6th from 3:00 – 4:00pm CET
